Chemist
What the work is
Studies the chemical and physical properties of substances and identifies their practical uses. Develops and monitors chemical processes to create or improve products in pharmaceutical, manufacturing, agriculture and other industries.
Would you enjoy the work?
These are the main tasks in the official description. Mark how each one sounds to you.
- Designs and conducts experiments to identify chemical composition, energy and chemical changes in natural substances and processed materials
- Researches and analyses the chemical composition, properties and structure of matter to develop or improve existing theories, methods and processes
- Ensures laboratory experiments in chemistry follow protocols and regulations, and meet quality control standards
- Studies, analyses and tests chemistry research processes for application in product improvement or development
- May develop and improve products, chemical formulas, methods and processes for use at an industrial scale
- May study, analyse and model the operations of a chemical plant
Try it
A simulation and a case study from this kind of work, set in a food company's test kitchen and quality lab, and a winery during vintage. They are fictional.
The kind of days you could have
Good days
- A recipe that failed ten times finally tastes exactly like it should
- You taste a barrel sample and know it is going to be something special
- A shelf stable product you developed lands in shops and people just buy it
Hard days
- Rain is forecast for harvest week and every decision has to be made in a day
- A launch date is promised and the product still has a problem you can taste
- Long hours at the lab tracing a tiny change in a recipe that nobody can see
Written by Career Calling as a general guide. Real roles vary by employer and place.
Work a mission
Step into a simulated workplace in this field, with a brief from your manager.
Description and tasks: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Occupation Standard Classification for Australia, 2024, Version 1.0 (opens another site), occupation 244231, used under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. The skill guide above is our plain English summary.